Asian-Style Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Want to know the secret to meal prep that will have you winning at dinner and just about any other meal you serve? Making my Instant Pot pulled pork is the answer to just about every meal question you can ask. I love this simple recipe because it really requires minimum effort to make a mouth-watering pork that completely melts in your mouth.

All it takes is an hour to cook in the Instant Pot. You simply follow my prep instructions below and then dump it in the pot. Turn on your rice cooker to have that ready at the same time, or use it to make sandwiches, throw it along with noodles, even top it on salads. There are so many creative things you can do with it. I’d love to know if you think of something amazing too!

In my photos, you’ll see I’ve used my instant pot pulled pork to make a rice bowl. It’s topped with a Chinese Coleslaw, and I love the crispy textures and the melt-in-your-mouth meat together. Plus the rice soaks up the sensational sauce. You’re going to love it whether you follow my rice bowl method or you just make up a big batch of it to portion out and freeze for later use, which I absolutely recommend. It makes crazy nights so much easier to get a tasty meal together.

Just a few things to note before you get started. You’ll want to use the sauté function on the Instant Pot to brown the pork on all sides. It is very simple to do and it gives it so much more flavor than simply adding everything together at once. I recommend pork shoulder for this because it’s a typically tough meat, but using it with this cooking method turns it into fork-tender meat. In fact, when it’s finished, you’ll need only 2 forks to shred the meat.

Another thing you should know is that the cooking liquid will look like it’s not enough, but I assure you that it’s plenty to cover the pork once it’s finished cooking. You can thicken up that rich herb-infused sauce to serve on top of the meat. In sandwiches or in a bowl, it just adds that extra something to the softened meat texture to give it those satisfying and comforting Asian flavors. You’ve got to try this in your kitchen for a fast way to meal prep for a chaotic night.

More delicious Instant Pot recipes

• Pressure Cooker Curry Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Asian Instant Pot Chicken Rice
• Instant Pot Orange Chicken
• Instant Pot Chicken Congee with Spinach

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.

Asian-Style Instant Pot Pulled Pork

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 9 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

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Tender Asian-style pulled pork is a deliciously savory and slight smoky treat. It’s a versatile dish you can enjoy over rice, on noodle bowls, in salads, sandwiches and just about anything you can dream of. This Instant Pot pulled pork recipe is a winner anytime you want it for dinner. {Gluten-Free adaptable}

Ingredients 

• 1 (3.5 to 4 lbs, 1.6 kg to 1.8 kg) pork shoulder , cut into 3 to 4 pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instant Pot

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (or soy sauce0
• 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 thumb ginger , sliced
• 6 garlic cloves , smashed
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika powder
• 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
• 1 onion , chopped

Slurry

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

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Instructions

• Thoroughly pat dry the pork with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
• Add oil into the Instant Pot. Swirl to coat the bottom. Turn on the Saute function of the Instant Pot and wait until it shows as hot. Add the pork. Cook until all sides are golden brown, about 10 minutes. You might need to cook the pork in two batches. Add more oil, if needed. Transfer the browned pork to a big plate. Immediately add the water. Use a spatula to scrape off any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Turn off Saute function.
• Add the remaining Instant Pot ingredients. Stir to mix well.
• Transfer the cooked pork back into the Instant Pot. Cover the pot and seal the pressure valve. Use Manual mode on high pressure for 1 hour. Use natural or fast pressure release when done.
• Remove the pork from the pot and transfer to a big plate.
• Turn on the Saute function again to bring the sauce to a boil. Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Slowly add half of the mixture into the pot. Stir to mix well to thicken the sauce. If the sauce is still thin, slowly add the cornstarch slurry while stirring, until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Turn off the Saute function immediately and transfer the sauce to a big bowl.
• To serve, shred the pork using two forks. Serve hot with the sauce, on top of steamed rice, or stuff into dinner rolls to make a sandwich with homemade Chinese coleslaw.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. To make this dish gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos to replace the light soy sauce and dark soy sauce and use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 422kcal, Carbohydrates: 3.3g, Protein: 31.3g, Fat: 30.8g, Saturated Fat: 10.9g, Cholesterol: 119mg, Sodium: 363mg, Potassium: 475mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1.9g, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2.2mg

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